AES Ohio Electricity Rates: Dayton Power & Light Guide 2026

If you live in the Dayton area and you're still calling it Dayton Power & Light, you're not alone. But technically, it's been AES Ohio since 2021 when The AES Corporation (a global energy company) bought them and slapped on a new name.

Here's what you're dealing with: 527,000 customers spread across 24 counties and 6,000 square miles of West Central Ohio. That's 1.25 million people getting their power through AES Ohio's wires. The name changed. Everything else? Same poles, same trucks, same customer accounts.

Now here's the weird part about how Ohio electricity works. AES Ohio doesn't make your power (at least not for homes). They just deliver it. Think of them like the postal service - they bring the package, but someone else packed it. Your electricity comes either from the Standard Service Offer (the default option) or from whatever competitive supplier you pick through Ohio Energy Choice. PUCO makes sure they play by the rules.

AES Ohio owns the wires in West Central Ohio, with Dayton and Springfield as the anchors. But it spreads way beyond that.

You'll see their trucks in Dayton, Springfield, Xenia, and Fairborn. Also Kettering, Beavercreek, and Huber Heights. Troy and Piqua up north. Greenville out west. All told, they cover 24 counties across the Miami Valley and beyond.

Here's the county breakdown if you want specifics. Montgomery County is the big one (that's Dayton). Then you've got Greene County (Xenia, Fairborn), Clark County (Springfield), Miami County (Troy, Piqua), and Darke County (Greenville). Plus Preble County, Warren County, and a bunch more.

It's a mix. Urban Dayton. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Suburbs. Farm country. All on the same grid. And here's the good news: everyone in this territory can shop for electricity through Ohio Energy Choice. Doesn't matter if you're in downtown Dayton or out in the cornfields.

The Price to Compare is what you pay for electricity if you stick with AES Ohio's default Standard Service Offer. It's the number you need when shopping for better deals.

Right now (June 2025 through May 2026), typical residential customers are paying around 9.45 cents per kWh. But if you heat with electricity, you get a break: about 8.0 cents per kWh during winter (November through May). That's not nothing.

These rates come from wholesale electricity auctions that PUCO supervises. They usually hold them in April and October. Whatever price the generators bid becomes your Price to Compare for the next year. It includes the cost of making the electricity plus getting it to Ohio through the transmission grid.

Note: competitive suppliers often beat this price. Some offers go as low as 6 cents per kWh. That's why the Price to Compare exists - so you can compare.

AES Ohio doesn't just pick a number out of thin air. PUCO makes them run competitive auctions twice a year (usually April and October) where wholesale generators bid on supplying electricity to Dayton.

Whatever price wins the auction becomes your Price to Compare for the next rate year. AES Ohio just passes through the wholesale cost - no markup, no profit on the supply side. They make their money on delivery, not generation.

In 2025, those auctions resulted in about an $8.70 monthly increase for typical customers using 1,000 kWh. That's a 5.6% jump. Not fun, but that's what the market did.

This system has an upside and a downside. Upside: total transparency. AES Ohio can't gouge you on supply because they're literally just passing through what they paid at auction. Downside: you're exposed to whatever the wholesale market does. When natural gas prices spike or power plants retire, your bill goes up.

It also explains why competitive suppliers can sometimes beat the SSO. They might've bought power at different times or locked in better contracts. The auction sets a baseline, not a ceiling.

Ohio Energy Choice is the law that lets you shop for electricity while AES Ohio keeps delivering it. You pick the supplier. They keep the lights on. Simple as that.

To switch: First, find your Price to Compare on your AES Ohio bill or grab it from AES-Ohio.com. That's your benchmark. Then head to PUCO's Apples to Apples tool, plug in your ZIP code, and compare what's available. When you find something better, sign up directly with that supplier.

The savings can be real. Some competitive rates hit 6.09 cents per kWh - that's about 29% below the Standard Service Offer. Not every offer will beat it, but enough do that it's worth checking.

The switch takes one billing cycle. Your power won't flicker. AES Ohio won't charge you a fee. And if you hate your new supplier? Switch back to the SSO anytime. The wires don't care who you're paying for generation.

Your AES Ohio bill splits into two main chunks: generation (making the electricity) and distribution (getting it to your house).

Generation charges come from either AES Ohio's Standard Service Offer or whatever competitive supplier you picked. If you switch suppliers, this is the only part that changes. Distribution charges stay with AES Ohio no matter what - that covers the poles, wires, transformers, and keeping the grid running.

Then you've got a fixed customer charge just for being connected. Transmission charges for moving power across those big high-voltage lines. And riders - those little add-ons that fund energy efficiency programs, grid upgrades, and regulatory stuff nobody really wants to pay for but everybody benefits from.

Your bill also shows how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) you used and your current Price to Compare. That Price to Compare number is gold when you're shopping around.

When you switch to a competitive supplier, their charges literally replace the AES Ohio generation line. Everything else stays the same.

Some cities in AES Ohio territory run municipal aggregation programs where your local government negotiates electricity rates for everyone. It's bulk buying for power.

The idea is simple: one big contract beats thousands of small ones. Your city picks a supplier, locks in a rate, and automatically enrolls eligible residents. You usually get better rates than going solo - sometimes even better than the SSO. Plus there's some comfort in knowing your local government did the vetting instead of you comparing spreadsheets at 11 PM.

If you don't like the program rate, you can opt out anytime and pick your own supplier or stick with the Standard Service Offer. Nobody's forcing you in.

Dayton, Kettering, and several other Montgomery County communities have either launched these programs or kicked the tires on them. Check with your local government to see if you're in one. Free money on the table if the program rate beats what you're paying now.

When the lights go out, AES Ohio fixes it. Doesn't matter who you buy your electricity from - AES Ohio owns the wires, so AES Ohio responds to outages.

Report problems at AES-Ohio.com, through their mobile app, or by calling 1-877-427-6861. The outage map shows where crews are working and when they think your power's coming back. (Those estimates aren't promises, by the way. Storms are unpredictable.)

AES Ohio spends money trying to prevent outages in the first place. Trimming trees away from power lines. Upgrading old equipment before it fails. Hardening the grid against storms across those 6,000 square miles. When major weather hits, they coordinate with other utilities to bring in extra crews.

Does it work perfectly? No. Will your power still go out sometimes? Yes. But your supplier choice has zero impact on how fast they fix it. Same trucks, same crews, same response time.

If you see downed power lines, call immediately and stay way back. Those things will kill you.

If you're struggling to pay your AES Ohio bill, there are programs that can help. Helpful programs, not just brochures.

PIPP Plus (Percentage of Income Payment Plan) caps your bill at 6% of your household income if you qualify. That's the big one for low-income customers. HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) provides one-time payment help through the Ohio Development Services Agency. And local community action agencies partner with AES Ohio to offer other assistance options - call them, they know the ropes better than customer service.

Even if you don't qualify for assistance, Budget Billing spreads your annual costs into equal monthly payments so you're not getting hammered in summer and winter. Call 1-877-427-6861 to set up payment extensions or installment plans if you just need breathing room.

Ohio law provides some protection too. The winter reconnect order limits disconnections during extreme cold. Medical certificates protect customers with serious health conditions that require electricity. These aren't automatic - you have to apply and provide documentation.

Switching suppliers is one way to cut your AES Ohio bill. Using less electricity is the other way. Both work.

AES Ohio runs efficiency programs funded by those rider charges on your bill. Free home energy assessments. Rebates on efficient appliances. Weatherization help to plug the leaks in your house. These programs exist because you're already paying for them - might as well use them.

Smart thermostats can cut your heating and cooling costs by 10-15% without you thinking about it. LED bulbs use 75% less energy than the old incandescent ones and last forever. Sealing air leaks around windows and doors is boring as hell but it pays off every month.

Now the rate stuff. If you heat with electricity, you qualify for lower winter rates (about 8.0 cents vs 9.45 cents per kWh). Call AES Ohio and verify they've got you classified correctly. Check if your city has a municipal aggregation program - free savings if they do. Compare suppliers on PUCO's Apples to Apples tool. Fixed-rate contracts won't always save money, but they'll stop your bill from jumping around when the market goes crazy.